Truth or Dare or Blush til it Hurts
by EpitomeofDistraction
Summary: In an attempt to make Sango and Miroku admit their feelings to each other, Kagome uses a certain game for help. She ends up finding out a bit more than that... MirokuXSango InuYashaXKagome
1. And So It Begins

Distraction: Bum-ba-da-bum! Here it is! The wonderful, beautiful, worship-worthy fanfiction, by me, the Epitome of Distraction!  
Okay, so it's not the best, but whatever; it's my first fic; I'll get better after a couple tries...

Inu-Yasha: Just how bad are you, wench? There are already enough crappy writers out there making me look like a fool. You better not be planning to make me Miroku-ish.

Miroku: Excuse me, Inu-Yasha, but I resent that. Though my behavior may, at times, be less than honorable, I deplore the thought that I cannot control my male, libidinal urges towards women that inevitably make themselves over-whelmingly known at random times throughout each and every day, making it hard to live a decent, respectable life, slowly and maddeningly deteriorating my self-control, and therefore, my self-esteem, until I finally can't take it any more and break down, causing my friends to abandon me, and my family line lost because I can't contain myself enough to have a mature adult relationship with a female presence, and therefore having my Grandfather and Father, and eventually myself, to have died without every being avenged!

Everybody:stare:

Inu-Yasha: Uhh, what the heck was that?

Sango: Houshi-sama, is there something you would like to talk about?

Miroku: No, no, Sango. I apologize; I merely lost my composure for a moment. I'm perfectly fine now.

Sango: Uhh, okay...

Distraction: Well, let's just get on with the fanfiction, shall we:ignores the light bickering behind her: Here it is! Oh, and I don't own Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha: Damn straight...

**Truth or Dare or Blush til it Hurts**

**Chapter One**

"That math test was terrible," complained Kagome. She was walking home with her friends after a day of horrifically longs mid-terms. She had come home to her time two days ago for them, but thinking now about the inevitably bad scores she must have gotten made her wish she hadn't.

"I agree," Yuka said, "but the exam on the Feudal Era was the worst." Eri and Ayumi nodded solemnly in agreement.

Kagome blushed slightly at this. "Oh no. That was the best one."

Her friends looked at her. "There were 15 essay questions on the excruciating details of everyday life 500 years ago. How can that possibly be easy?"

Kagome suddenly became very interested with a non-existent spot on her sleeve.

Yuka changed the subject for her. "Enough with that. Let's talk about something more interesting." Smiling, she looked at her and asked, "So, what's new with that guy. You know, the possessive two-timer?" Her words were sing-song-y and teasing.

Kagome looked up, blushing even harder. "Oh, him. He's fine. He hasn't mentioned that other girl for quite a while. And I haven't seen KO-that guy who wants me to be his mate for a long time, so things are going pretty smoothly. We haven't argued for, like, a week, either." She sighed. Miroku and Sango had been doing the yelling lately.

"What's wrong?" Eri asked. "Isn't it a good thing you aren't fighting?"

"Oh, it's not that. It's just that there are these two people, and I know they really like each other. It's just, they're being so stupid!" She violently punched a fist into her opposite palm.

Her friends raised their eyes eye-brows and exchanged glances. "Umm, Kagome? Would you like to tell us about it, maybe we can help."

Kagome sighed again. "Well, see, there's this guy who's a bit of a pervert. He hits on every pretty girl he comes across. Especially this one girl. She never liked it before, but lately, I think she's been having feelings for him, too. But she tries to ignore them, like the feelings will go away if she just doesn't act on them. She's probably worried he won't be faithful, and with good reason. He is the world's most womanizing monk. I just _know_ she likes him, and he likes her, but what can I do? There just being so stupid. Ugh!" Her hands flew pinto the air. She had said this all very fast, and Eri and Ayumi stared at her like she had just grown a mustache before their very eyes. But, Yuka looked at her with her all-knowing grin.

"I know what you can do!" she said, clapping her hands together. Kagome blinked, "Huh? What?"

Yuka grinned at her. "Play a game of course! Like 'Spin-the-Bottle' or 'Seven Minutes in Heaven'!"

Kagome looked at her. "Umm, that would require me to play, me to KISS someone."

Yuka looked down-fallen. "Oh yeah." They walked in silence for a few moments.

Ayumi perked up. "I know! How about 'Truth or Dare'? It's pretty safe, right? Just say truth all the time, and if someone asks something that you don't want to answer, lie!"

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Yuka and Eri practically jumped with excitement at the ingeniousness of the idea. A smile slowly spread across Kagome's face. "Yeah, I can do that." She didn't like the idea of lying, but she was willing to do just about anything for her friends.

They continued walking until they got to Kagome's house. They said their good-byes and parted. Kagome smiled. She was going back tomorrow...

() ()  
( -.-)

Miroku stood by the well that would take Inu-Yasha to Kagome's time. "I don't think you should go there, Inu-Yasha. Lady Kagome said she would be coming back today, and I doubt she needs to be reminded."

"I don't care. She'll stay there forever if I don't go, I know it. Her and her 'exams'. Feh! Why does she like them so much?" Inu-Yasha stood a short distance from the well, trying to shake Shippo off his leg.

"Inu-Yasha, no!" the kitsune squealed, hanging on tighter. "If you go, Kagome will get mad, and you two will start fighting again."

Miroku and Sango watched the tug-o'-war for Inu-Yasha's pants for a few minutes until the Hanyou gave a particularly hard kick, sending Shippo flying to land on his head ten feet away. Without bothering to see if he had caused any harm to the young demon, Inu-Yasha quickly sprinted over to the Bone Eater's Well and jumped in. He landed hard on all fours, then immediately jumped out again. Inu-Yasha was no longer in the green field outside of Kaede's village, but in a small shrine behind Kagome's house. He ran out the door, then to the strange building Kagome called home. He bounded up the side of the house to the girl's open window, letting himself inside.

Even though the sun had been up for over two hours, Kagome was still asleep in bed. He sighed and grumbled at himself. Why didn't this girl have the decency to get up early and get back to him? Umm, him and the rest of her friends. Inu-Yasha blushed very slightly. 'I didn't mean it like that,' he told himself firmly.

Looking to distract himself and let Kagome sleep, Inu-Yasha took to exploring the room. He opened drawers and examined the strange items on her tables. There was one device that was shaped like a box, but had a circular thing on the front and button at the top that, if pressed, made the box flash light. He played with that until he became bored, then sat down in the chair by Kagome's desk and looked at the sleeping girl. Her black hair fanned out over the pillow in a carefree sort of way. Her mouth was open just the slightest bit, and her hand lay next to her cheek in an innocent fashion that Inu-Yasha decided suited her well. Her head was turned flat on the pillow, elongating her neck in a very elegant, very feminine way. Her other hand came to rest at the base of her neck, so that one of her bare shoulders was covered by her wrist.

Inu-Yasha blinked. Bare shoulders? Was Kagome wearing anything under those blankets? The hanyou got up and went to the side of the bed. He stared at her, arguing with himself about whether he should check to see or not. He was still standing there when the bedroom door slammed open suddenly. Kagome's kid brother stood there.

"Kagome! Mom says breakfast's- oh! Hey Inu-Yasha! How long have you been here?"

Inu-Yasha stood there, shocked, by Kagome's bed, unable to move. Kagome quickly stirred. She blinked her eyes open, then saw Inu-Yasha standing over her. She shrieked and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Get out! Get out!" She picked up the alarm clock on the table next to her and chucked it hard at Inu-Yasha's back as he tried to get out of the room as quickly as he could. "Pervert!" He slammed the door shut.

Inu-Yasha stood in the hallway outside of Kagome's room with a shocked look on his face. The way she had reacted seemed to answer any questions he had about what she was wearing. Her brother giggled, bringing Inu-Yasha back to his senses. He crossed his arms and glared at the kid, but that just made him laugh more. From the bottom of the stairs, Kagome's mother's voice called up to them, "What's all the noise up there? Is everything all right?"

"Sure, Mom! It's just Inu-Yasha!"

"Oh, hello, Inu-Yasha," came the voice. "Souta, come set another place at the table for him."

"Comin'," Souta replied, and scampered down the stairs. Inu-Yasha shook his head.

The bedroom door opened, and Kagome came out, looking mad. She faced Inu-Yasha, and said, "What the heck were you doing? What are you even doing here? I thought I told you not to come!"

Inu-Yasha glared back. "I didn't think you'd come back without me making you! And I wasn't doing anything; I was just looking!"

Kagome was flustered. "At _what_, exactly, were you looking?"

This made Inu-Yasha blush. Kagome scowled at him. "You're as bad as Miroku sometimes, I swear!" She went downstairs, leaving a very indignant Inu-Yasha behind.

() ()  
( -.-)

"When will they be back?" whined Shippo for the fifteenth time in as many minutes.

Sango impatiently replied, "In a little while. Now stop asking!"

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara were relaxing in a grove of trees a little ways away from the well. The monk was sitting against a tree, gazing at his covered hand. Kirara was asleep next to him, oblivious to anything but the dream she was currently having. With Kagome and Inu-Yasha gone, that left Sango to watch after Shippo. The little demon was very impatient and restless, wanting Kagome to come back, and wasn't easy to keep occupied.

"Hey, Shippo. Why don't you go see if you can get through the well again? Maybe it'll work this time." The kitsune brightened and ran off to try. Sango knew it was useless, but at least it would keep him busy, maybe he'd even get stuck...

Sango looked around and spotted Miroku, still staring at his hand. Her mood changed suddenly; she felt a wave of sorrow came over her, the way it always did when she thought about him and his situation. How horrible would it be to be cursed with a weapon so powerful it would eventually kill you? And since childhood dent on a wild goose chase to kill the person responsible for the curse, the one way you could be rid of it forever? And knowing that you would not likely slay that person, and to have to sanely plan for the future, knowing you only had a few years left, and having to plan to have a child to carry on your mission, but knowing that the child would also be cursed to bear the weapon as well? It was a lot to handle; Sango knew she would fall apart if she were in his place. But whenever she tried to comfort him or get him to talk about it, he would rush off somewhere, or ruin the moment by touching her butt.

She sighed, and went and sat down between him and Kirara. He looked up at her, letting his hand fall. Suddenly unnerved, she turned towards Kirara, positioning herself against the tree so her rear was out of range of his wandering hands. Somewhat embarrassed, though she didn't know why, she asked him, "How long do you think Inu-Yasha and Kagome will be?"

Miroku tilted his head back against the tree and gazed at the leafy ceiling. "I don't know. Inu-Yasha may hasten Lady Kagome's return a little, but I doubt he would make much difference in her arrival time. I don't know why he bothered to go."

Sango nodded. Kirara yawned, and Sango started petting her. "Then again, he might even slow her down. If it were me, he'd just be in the way." She looked over her shoulder at the monk. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep. She stopped stroking Kirara. His lips were slightly parted, enhancing the illusion that he was napping. Much to her own embarrassment, she thought they looked soft. "Temptingly soft," a voice that sounded a lot like Kagome's said in the back of her head. She blushed. Biting her own lip, she reached out for Miroku's mouth. When she realized what her hand had been doing, she quickly pulled it back, blushing profusely.

A loud bang from right next to her made her cry out in surprise, and knock her off her balance. Much to her dismay, she fell right into Miroku's lap. He opened his eyes and looked at her, startled, then turned his head to where Shippo had appeared and was now cackling insanely. "That wasn't very nice to scare lady Sango like that, Shippo." The only response was more laughter.

Sango was staring at Shippo, half surprised and half angry. She knew she was blushing, and therefore couldn't bring herself to look at Miroku, but couldn't bring herself to get up either. So she just sat there and stared at Shippo laughing until she heard Miroku say to her, "Umm, Sango?" She looked at him. He was blushing too. Sango looked down and saw that one of her hands had come to a rest on his chest, and the other, she noticed with a gasp, fallen on his upper thigh, dangerously close to... she drew her hands back sharply and stood up, her face so hot she swore it was radiating heat.

More to get away from Miroku than anything else, she snatched Shippo up and dragged him over to the well, yelling about startling her, and promptly smacked his rear-end as punishment, ignoring his wails.

She looked over at Miroku, who was now rummaging through their bag of food. As she dropped a whimpering Shippo into the well, a thought occurred to her. Even though she had presented an easy target, Miroku hadn't tried to touch her. What did that mean?

Woo hoo! So, what do you think? Please, please, PLEASE hit that little blue box down there and submit a review. I'll take any sort of review at all! If you see a spelling mistake or grammatical error, tell me! Everything is appreciated.

I'll put up the next chapter in a little bit; I have most of written already, but I still need to do my thirteenth proof-read. So, yeah, expect it shortly!


	2. Of Plots and Showers

Distraction: Hey, everybody! I'm back again! I want to thank all the people who reviewed the first chapter. You all make me feel so loved! I want to ask Hanyou-demoness-dono how she managed to review so quickly. Seriously, I posted it, then immediately checked my email and found the review. It kind of freaked me out, especially when I tried to find my story and couldn't. Please tell me your secret!

Inu-Yasha: Stop your foolish babbling, girl, and get on with the story!

Kagome: I thought you didn't like fanfiction. What do you want her to continue for?

Inu-Yasha: I don't want it; Miroku just wants to see what Sango's going to do.

Miroku: I never said anything like that to you. I won't deny what you said is true, but I never told you that.

Kagome: Oh, really :looks at Inu-Yasha:

Inu-Yasha: What? What do you want from me?

Distraction: Tee hee. Well, let's give the man what he wants! Voici!

Inu-Yasha: Voici?

Distraction: French for 'here it is'.

Inu-Yasha: You don't own me.

**Chapter 2**

Kagome's mom looked up from doing the dishes to where her daughter sat toweling off her hair and said, "Why doesn't your friend take a shower, too, dear? I doubt he gets many in the Feudal Era." She chuckled at her own joke.

Kagome rolled her eyes, then said, "That's a good idea, Mom. I'll go tell him."

She went upstairs to Souta's room, where her little brother had dragged Inu-Yasha. They were sitting on the floor, her brother apparently trying to teach the hanyou how to use a video game controller. "Inu-Yasha."

He looked up. "Is it time to go?" he asked hopefully.

"No, you need to take a shower, then we can go."

He nodded. "Where do you want me to put the thing?"

Kagome looked at him confused. Souta giggled. Inu-Yasha looked at him.

Kagome sighed. "Come with me." He got up and followed her to the bathroom. She pointed to the tub. "This is a shower. You stand in this tub here, and the water comes out of the nozzle, here." She pointed. "You clean yourself. Here's the soap, shampoo, and conditioner." He looked at her with an "are you crazy"/confused look. She sighed again. "Souta!" He came running. "Would you mind helping Inu-Yasha in the shower? He's never washed his hair before."

"Wow, really?" There was nothing wrong with Inu-Yasha in the eyes of her little brother. Kagome shut the door on them, saying oh-so-casually as she went, "Take the shower or I don't go."

Kagome went about the house, gathering things in her bag that she would need. She tried to ignore the sounds emanating from the upstairs bathroom. Inu-Yasha didn't like having to take his clothes off, the water being so hot, the ground being so hard, using a washrag, the soap, the shampoo, the shampoo getting in his eyes, the scrub-brush, and the whole neighborhood knew it. Souta was almost as loud.

"Stop! You're ripping the washcloth!"

"I don't care! It's not my fault I have claws!"

"Whadder you doing? Don't shred the soap!"

"I'm just trying to hold onto it! It's too slippery!...What are YOU doing?"

"Hold still! I'm trying to get the shampoo in your hair!"

"You're WHAT? What is that crap? Hey, stop! AAARRGGHH! You got it in my eyes!"

"Well, if you would just hold still...!"

Kagome wandered into the laundry room. "Hey Mom, do we have a- Mom! What are you doing with Inu-Yasha's clothes?"

Her mom turned around, holding up the robes in question. "Oh, they're so dirty! Dried mud everywhere! And is this blood?"

Kagome went over to her. "What is he supposed to wear? That's all he has."

Mrs. Higarashi went back to attacking a bloodstain on his pant leg. "He can wear some of your grandfather's clothes until these dry." She pushed the clothes into the washing machine. "And I'll have to do two loads, or else his white shirt will turn pink! A d I don't think he'd like that." She turned around and smiled at her daughter.

"Inu-Yasha is going to kill me."

And indeed, twenty long, loud minutes later, Inu-Yasha came storming down the stairs with a towel wrapped around his waist and his body shining with water, yelling for Kagome. When he found her in the front room, he screamed, "Where the hell are my clothes? What did you do with them, you sneaky wench?"

She stood up indignantly, fists clench, and said with a slightly raised voice, "My mom thought it would be a good idea to wash them. You'll have to wait."

"You said we could go once I took a shower!"

"Well, I didn't know my mom was going to wash your clothes, now did I?"

"I think you did! I think this is all some plot not to go back at all, just stay here forever."

"Oh, don't over-react! We wouldn't stay here forever. What would you do, huh? Go to school like me? Yeah right!"

"Well, if you hadn't made me take a shower, then your stupid mother–" "Inu-Yasha! Sit!"

Inu-Yasha twitched on the ground as swoops of laughter were coming from where Souta sat on the stairs with the clothes for Inu-Yasha. Kagome stormed up to her room and slammed the door.

Kagome sat huffily on the bed 'Ugh! Inu-Yasha, you can be such a pain sometimes!' she thought moodily. Why did he have to be such a pig? 'If you didn't have such a cynical attitude all the time, you'd be so hot.' Her jaw dropped. "D-did I just...?" she trailed off, shocked at herself. "I don't actually feel that way, I've just been around boy-obsessed Yuka and Ayami too much lately," she said aloud to herself, matter-of-factly. The image of him standing before her, water making his firm muscles gleam in the mid-morning light, in absolutely nothing but a towel flashed through her mind. She blinked. If she was completely honest with herself, she did think he had a _really_ nice body. 'No!' she told herself. 'He's a selfish, mean, arrogant, over-masculine, pompous jerk who–' There was a knock at her door.

"Can I come in?" Inu-Yasha stuck his head in the room. She nodded. He walked in. Kagome giggled. He was wearing her grandfather's exercise shorts and 'I break for legends' t-shirt. Both articles of clothing were quite a bit too small for him, giving everyone a gentle peak at everything underneath. He glared at her as she tossed a pillow at him for him to cover himself up with.

"Well, thanks to you, there's nothing else to wear," he snapped at her. This just made her giggle more.

"When do I get my clothes back?" he asked coldly.

Kagome looked at the clock she had tossed at him earlier. "About an hour and a half." She looked apologetic Inu-Yasha's face softened. Looking around, he asked, "Is there anything else you need for when we _finally_ go back?"

For some reason, this made her blush. "Umm, I need, umm, an empty bottle. Like a milk bottle."

He made a face at her, but got up to help her search for one, stealing the top cover from the bed and wrapping it around his waist as he went. As they looked through drawers in the kitchen, Kagome said, "I'm sorry I didn't stop my mom from washing your clothes. I didn't mean for us to be delayed like this."

Inu-Yasha just kept looking in the drawer.

'''''''

After over two hours of waiting, Miroku was getting very bored. And it was never good for the people around him if he was bored. He stood up from where he sat by the tree, and went over to Shippo playing with Kirara. Sango was some distance away, sighing a lot. Good, she needed not to hear.

"Hey Shippo," he said. "How would you like to play another trick on Sango?"

The kitsune whimpered and covered his rear with his hands. "No way! Sango'll get mad at me again!"

The mischievous monk squatted down by Shippo. "Oh, Sango wouldn't do that. This is the type of trick that she'll never know is a trick."

The kitsune thought for a moment, then brightened. "All right! What do I do?"

Miroku whispered in his ear. After the monk withdrew, the kitsune nodded and scampered up to the grove of trees. Miroku followed. While Shippo was quickly bounding up the tree, Miroku positioned himself behind another tree some distance away. As soon as Shippo reached as high as he could climb, the misguided youth bellowed out, "Sango! Help me! Waahh!" Miroku had to admire his skills. He had a bit of a wail in his voice; he sounded genuinely in trouble. He watched as Sango whipped around at the sound, then, Hiraikotsu in hand, dashed to the source of the noise. She slowed to a stop under the tree.

Turning her head up, she asked urgently, "What's wrong?"

Shippo clung tight to a branch, "Mmmm! I'm stuck!"

Sango exhaled. "Oh, that's all! I was really worried, you know," she said, putting the Hiraikotsu back on her back and slowly starting to climb. "I thought you were in real trouble."

Miroku waited until she was about three feet off the ground, then made his move. Running out from behind the tree, he came skidding to a halt under/beside Sango. Pretending to have been quite a ways out in the forest, he said, "What's wrong? I heard Shippo scream."

Tossing her boomerang bone to the ground to ease the ascent, Sango replied, "He's stuck up in the tree. Nothing's the matter."

"Oh, good," he said, dropping his staff. Grinning lecherously, he reached out for her bottom. Wiggling his fingers before making the final move, he nodded to himself and placed his hand firmly on Sango's even firmer rump, saying, "Here. Let me help you."

Faster than he expected, the taijiya whirled around, connecting with his face with a resounding slap. She moodily sprang the rest of the way to Shippo and jumped down. Miroku rubbed his face. Sango was mad at him, but it was worth it; when she had rushed up the tree, her skirt had flared ever-so-slightly, allowing the perverted monk his intended prize. He smiled at himself. It wasn't much of a peek, but it would do for now. Shippo shook his head at him.

"They're back!" Shippo immediately perked up and bounded off towards the well.

Miroku started walking to where Kagome had appeared. She was wearing her wonderful 'mini-skirt' that he adored so much, the kind that showed her entire leg. 'Wouldn't it be great if all women were to wear that?' he thought. He watched the skirt flutter and flip as she turned to face Inu-Yasha now emerging out of the well. Kagome's legs brushed against each other as she started walking with the hanyou away from the well. The skirt bounced wondrously when she jumped, his memory recalled spontaneously. But his favorite feature was the way it hung slightly higher in the back, so enticingly asking his hand to slip underneath and pat her backside. Oh, how he'd love, just _love_, to Sango wear that. He could almost picture it. How wonderful. He sighed. "Ahh, Sango..."

A voice from behind made him jump. "I'm over here," Sango huffed. "You're staring at _Kagome_."

Miroku stopped and turned to her. Taking her hands in his, making her blush, he said, "But I was thinking of you. You are the only one I'll think about, no matter where my eyes may wonder and my hands will stray." Sango blinked and blushed. She yanked her hands out of his, pulled one back as if to slap him. Miroku grimaced as he awaited the inevitable hand. But the inevitable failed to come. Cautiously opening one eye, he saw Sango staring at him in half-shock, then turn around, hiding her red face in her hands. The womanizer looked down and paused before gently reaching out and rubbing his hand against her skirt. She gulped, flailing around and slapping him before storming off to where Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Shippo watched the scene sweat dropping (I hate using that term). Miroku sighed and followed suit, ignoring the glaring eyes of his companions. He had honestly thought she had _wanted_ him to grope her. Why else would she so willingly turn her backside to her? But he been wrong. Again.

He got to everybody standing by the well. They were all still looking at him with their 'You did it again, monk' looks he was sure they reserved especially for him. He decided to ignore it, turning to Inu-Yasha, who would be the easiest to distract. "I think we should leave immediately if we want to get to Yahirowa Mountain by tonight. The quickest way to go is through Tomake Valley to Omohi River. But because if the wet weather lately, we might want to go farther south to Kaihani Hill. What do you think?"

Thankfully, Inu-Yasha took the bait. "No, Kaihani is too far out of the way. It'll be faster to go north to Hokanei Bridge. The guy who manages the bridge doesn't really like me, but I can get by him if he gives me trouble."

This was exactly what Miroku had needed. He thanked Kami while the girls, who had still been scowling at him, now turned to Inu-Yasha, simultaneously raising their eyebrows. Miroku gave him a bland questioning look to fit the others'. Inu-Yasha dog-eyed them. After a moment of staring them down, he turned in the general direction of the bridge and started walking. "Well, are you guys coming or not?" he said with a bite. Sango and Kagome looked at each other, then started after him. Miroku walked behind them, getting a good view of their backsides. They were probably going to be walking for quite a while, Miroku staring the whole way there.

Distraction: It's a bit short, but it'll be smoother if I do it like this. I apologize. Oh, and before I forget, I want to tell you that I really, _really_ like to get reviews. I read all of them, no matter what. The long ones are my favorite. And if you want to correct a mistake like spelling or grammar, or even tell me how I should have worded something to make it better. Anything you want to say to make me a better writer, say it! That's all. Oh, and I like the compliments, too. I'm not trying to belittle their impact on me (that sounds funny) or anything like that. I just like all kinds of reviews. I'm going to shut up now.

Next time on Blush til it Hurts: The gang has been walking all day when they get to Hokanei Bridge, but there they run into some trouble. Does it have something to do with the mysterious past Inu-Yasha has with the person who maintains the bridge? Or is it something else entirely? Find out next time on ... Blush til it Hurts!


	3. Let the Games Begin

Distraction: Hello again, and welcome to another exciting chapter in "Truth or Dare or Blush til it Hurts"! I've been working really hard for the past few weeks on it (and my other fanfiction, soon to be posted!), and that's not to mention the piles of end-of-the-quarter studying and tests I had to do. Yes, that's an excuse. :sigh: I guess I'm a real fanfiction writer now, huh? Making excuses to why I didn't update sooner...jabbering on about things that are utterly pointless in the little space before the chapter, most likely just to raise your word count. :another sigh: I feel an odd expression that seems to be a cross between joy and depression. ... Oh well, I'll ponder that phenomenon later.

Distraction: Seriously, please don't flame me for lack of updates. You try juggling French, Japanese, Honors Geometry, Advanced Biology, 12th grade Creative Writing (in 9th grade), and a cranky art teacher, and see how much you get done on a fanfiction that your paranoid mother won't let you write because "teenage girls need to broaden their horizons and participate in activities around town" or some other such nonsense!

Distraction: ...

Distraction: Oh, I suppose you want the chapter now. Fine. :poof: There you go.

**Truth or Dare or Blush til it Hurts**

**Chapter Three**

They had been walking for seven hours straight. One stop, ten minutes. Needless to say, they were tired. They trekked through the woods near Hokanei bridge, Shippo hitching a ride on a slouching Kagome's shoulder, Miroku and Sango showing signs of physical fatigue, Inu-Yasha scowling even more than usual, though his bad mood may have also been a result of the miserable weather as well as the enormously long walk.

Dark grey clouds had hung gloomily over-head for most of the day, dampening the air and the moods of the travelers. It had started raining about the time the sun went down, though one could only tell the sun's disappearance by the sudden, though subtle, change of the shade of grey in the clouds. It was just about this time that the group came into the forest. Thanks to a strategically placed sign, they knew the bridge was just up ahead if they followed the narrow dirt path. They were looking forward to getting a well-earned night's rest at the bridge manager's house when they came to the bridge itself. When they saw it, they stopped dead in their tracks.

One end of the bridge was in the swollen river; the other was just the support beams, its mangled planks ripped off and lying on the bank. Railing was missing and there were large holes all along the length of the arch. An old boat made of decayed wood was turned upside-down with a sign announcing that "This boat is not fit for water. It will sink! Do not try to use!". The only things around that didn't seem to be in a state of total disrepair were the two small shacks sitting side by side about twenty feet from the newly made shore; the bridge-maintainer's house and a guest house, if they had to guess.

Sango broke from the group and walked over to the door of the closest hut. She pulled a note off the door, scanned it quickly, then said, "The manager said that he's twenty miles downstream getting materials for repairs from the nearest town. He says we can stay the night here if we want." She flipped the note over and read. "He also says that if we can spare time and manpower, he would be grateful for some help bringing the supplies back here."

Kagome, with Shippo on her shoulder, walked over to her, read the note and said, "We should go and help him."

Inu-Yasha, who was in an especially disputatious mood, snapped, "Are you crazy, girl? It's twenty miles out of the way! Besides, it's already night and it's raining; what the hell are we supposed to do now?"

Kagome took a moment to calm herself, repeating her usual mantra, 'Don't let him get to you; he's a mean, cranky jerk. Don't let him get to you; he's a mean, cranky jerk.' Opening her eyes and unclenching her fists, she said, "I didn't mean tonight. We're all too tired–" "–and moody," Sango murmured. "– to do anything but go inside and relax for the night. Which we were invited to do, so..." She broke off and pushed her way into the shack. Sango murmured something to Kirara, who promptly transformed and flew off, then followed Miroku into the hut. Inu-Yasha harumphed, but sulked after them anyway.

The inside of the hut wasn't exactly decorative. It had everything a solitary man living in the woods would need, and not much more. A firepit was in the middle, slightly damp from where rainwater had come in through the smoke hole above it. A variety of pots and pans and other cooking utensils hung from strategically placed pegs on the wall. Fishing rods and nets lay in a neat pile in the corner, next to two futons, one stacked on top of the other, with various animal pelts and blankets on top of them. Other than this, the room was bare.

"Must not be into entertaining,"Sango muttered as their eyes swept the place. Miroku disappeared out the door and returned a few seconds later.

"The other hut is identical to this,"he said. "I suggest we sleep in separate huts; perhaps Sango would like to join me in this one while Inu-Yasha and Kagome take the other?" His famous half grin was on his face.

Kagome hid her face in her hands and shook her head while Sango hit him soundly over the head with her Hiraikotsu screaming, "Lecher!"

They set to work making fire from the small pile of wood they found in each of the huts. Sometime while Kagome was boiling water for ramen, Shippo snuck off, his absence unnoticed by the others until a while later when the bowls of noodles were passed out. Miroku went to look for him, and found him in the second shack, fast asleep by the fire.

"Poor thing, he must be so tired from today," Kagome said, clicking her tongue. Inu-Yasha snorted into his ramen, but said nothing. She ignored it.

They sat in silence for a while, finishing their meal and waiting for the others to be done. Kagome silently bit her lip, looking from Miroku to Sango and back again. How was she going to suggest playing 'Truth or Dare'? Would it seem too obvious to just come out with it and say 'Let's play a game!' like she was some overly-peppy kid? She contemplated what she could do, and whether she should even do it, until Sango broke the silence, "You know, despite a little soreness in my legs, I'm not tired at all, even though we walked all day."

Glad for a distraction from her thoughts, Kagome nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. It can only be about, what? Like, eight? I don't think I could fall asleep now, even if I tried."

"What should we do, though? I think we deserve some fun. With all the work we've been doing lately, and walking all day, I think we should play a game." She rambled on about a game she used to play with Kohaku, Kagome not taking in a word of it as she stared wide-eyed at her friend. She had been looking for some way to bring in Truth or Dare, and here was an opportunity, staring her down, daring her not to take it.

She noticed vaguely Miroku nodding at something Sango had said as she sheepishly raised her hand and said, "I–I know a game we can play."

Her friends turned to her. Inu-Yasha, rude as ever, snorted, "What's with your arm, wench?"

She dropped it, continuing. "It–it's called 'Truth or Dare'. People in my time play it all the time at parties. It's really fun."

Miroku asked, "Lady Kagome. Excuse me, but what is a 'par-tease'?"

Kagome looked at him, "A party is a group gathering people go to to have fun." She turned back to the group. "Anyway. The main rules are simple. The person who starts picks someone and gives them the choice 'Truth or Dare'. That person picks one. If they pick truth, the original person gets to ask them a question, and they have to answer it truthfully. If they pick dare, the original person makes a request, which they have to do. Those are the basic rules. Now, we can lay down other rules that we can change each time we play. For example, we can say that if you don't want to do a dare or answer a question, you have to do a predetermined consequence. Or we can ban certain questions or requests," she glanced at Miroku, who was smirking. "like telling someone to bare their child."

Inu-Yasha butted in before Miroku could object. "I think we should have that 'pre-martyred consequence' thing. That'll keep you wimpy humans from getting craven and backing out."

"Okay, Inu-Yasha. What do you think the consequence should be?"

He thought for a moment. "How about whoever doesn't do something has to go swimming naked in the river? That'll keep you guys in line."

Miroku repositioned himself, his staff jangling. "Inu-Yasha, I doubt that we can't think of something that you may want to back out of. And swimming in the river nude is too astringent. If someone does that and catches a cold, then it will slow down our journey. We can't have that."

"Feh!" Inu-Yasha scowled. "I suppose you're right, bouzu. You humans are so weak, you can't even defend yourself from the cold."

Sango spoke up. "What if you had to take one night's full watch by yourself? Is that a good idea?"

"Yeah! I like that idea!" Kagome said. "What about you guys? You think you'd be able to handle that punishment?" she teased.

Miroku nodded politely and Inu-Yasha snorted. It was agreed.

Kagome clapped her hands together. "All right! Now, are there any other rules?" She looked at Miroku again. "Umm, how about nothing to do with sex? And no stripping either."

Miroku sighed and nodded. Sango looked at Kagome, saying "Arigato, Kagome-chan."

She smiled and said, "Anything else?"

"No sitting me during the game." Inu-Yasha said quickly. "You shouldn't be allowed to sit me."

Kagome nodded. "Okay and you're not allowed to make me not s-word you in the future, for any amount of time."

The hanyou grumbled something inaudible. Miroku added, "Besides that, we shouldn't be able to restrict behavior from someone that they are normally accustomed to."

Sango growled, "You just don't want us to say you can't grope people."

Miroku put on a façade of innocence. "I would never—" Kagome cut him off. "How about no restricting behavior for periods longer than a week. That'll give everybody a chance to do what they want."

Sango glared at Miroku; Miroku smiled back. They both said, "That seems fair."

"Anything else?" Kagome looked around at her companions. They shook their heads. "No? Okay, I'll start."

Kagome looked into each of her friends' faces. Inu-Yasha, sitting across from her, prayed to Kami that she wouldn't pick him. He didn't yet know how to play the game and was, though he would never admit it, getting a few butterflies in his stomach about some of the things she could ask him or make him do. 'Why did I even agree to play this dumb game?' he asked himself roughly. Thankfully, she turned to Sango. "Sango!" she shouted. The taijiya jumped

"M-me?" she stammered. "O-okay."

"Sango," she repeated. "Truth or dare?"

"Umm, truth?"

Kagome looked up thoughtfully. "Hmmm..." She snapped her head back down to look at the demon-slayer. "All right. What's your favorite part about searching for jewel shards?"

Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes. She could have asked anything she wanted, about something personal that she only would have found out by asking now. Wasn't that what most people would do? What was she thinking?

Sango, too, was surprised at the question, if the look on her face was anything to judge by. "Wha...?" She blinked. "Oh..okay. Umm, I guess it's that I get to be with you, Kagome-chan, and all my new friends." Sango smiled at Miroku, then turned away, blushing. Kagome giggled in her throat, unnoticed by those with human hearing. Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes some more.

Kagome said giddily, "Okay, Sango! It's your turn!"

Sango looked around, her eyes settling on Miroku. The monk quirked a grin, and she said, "Houshi-sama, truth or dare?"

Miroku's fingers twitched ominously as he replied, "I choose truth, my dear Sango, for I fear what you could make me do if I choose the other."

A solitary tic showed above the girl's closed eye's before she looked back up, her expression instantly softening. With a sad and utterly serious face, she asked solemnly, "Does it hurt when I hit you with the Hiraikotsu?"

He gave a small, curt nod. "Lady Sango, with the strength you possess as a result of your calling as a demon slayer, and your proficiency with the weapon, how could it not hurt?"

"Then why do you keep touching me?" she yelled exasperatedly.

The monk folded his hands together and replied, "I'm sorry, Lady Sango, but you've already asked me a question. Now, I believe, it is my turn."

Inu-Yasha thought the monk would pick him. He expected him to pick him. Not only was he the only one who hadn't yet participated, but that crooked houshi would jump at the chance to ask him about how he felt about Kikyo, or worse, Kagome.

Miroku's words echoed in the hanyou's head, 'Inu-Yasha, I doubt that we can't think of something that you may want to back out of.' The hanyou blanched. Great, he was going to be the first one to have to use the 'proventriculus consequence'.

Inu-Yasha broke from his train of thought as Miroku rattled his staff, looking around the circle. His eyes paused on Inu-Yasha. The monk opened his mouth. 'This is it,' Inu-Yasha grimaced to himself.

"Kagome!" the monk said, turning to her. "Truth or dare?"

"What!" Inu-Yasha was on his feet in an instant. All eyes turned to him.

'Whoops,' he thought. 'That was stupid.' Now he was in trouble. He wasn't supposed to give a crap about this stupid game, or a lot of other things, for that matter. He was going to have to do some quick thinking to get out of this one.

"Feh," he said, planting himself down before anyone could say anything.

Kagome was still looking at him. "Ummm…"

"Feh!" he said again, louder this time.

Kagome dropped it and turned back to Miroku, ushering him and Sango to follow her example by saying, "Dare, Miroku-sama."

This distracted everybody. Eyebrows shot up, and Inu-Yasha wondered at Kagome's sanity. Saying 'dare' to Miroku? Even with the minimal restraints on what could and could not be done, there was no was the monk's imagination couldn't weasel his way into dangerous (for Kagome, at least) territory; even those who had never played this retched game before knew of the precipice she had just stepped onto.

Miroku chortled amusedly. His thoughts seemed to be on the same track as Inu-Yasha's. The hanyou growled low. Sango muttered, 'Houshi-sama…"

Kagome chuckled. "Really, guys. He wouldn't do anything that bad." Inu-Yasha stared dumb-founded. Was she really that naive… or stupid?

Miroku smiled, "Lady Kagome! You have decided to put some faith into this humble monk! I am so grateful that you have finally come to your senses and noticed that I mean you know harm and have done no wrong. You have broken free from the hold these two—" he motioned to Sango and Inu-Yasha, both scowling deeply "–have had on you, conning you into thinking that I was anything but a modest servant of Buddha."

Kagome waved a hand in the air. 'Yeah, yeah. The only thing more modest than you is Inu-Yasha before he attacks Kouga," she said, sticking out her tongue. Completely missing the insult, Inu-Yasha thought, 'The wench is acting really weird tonight…'

"All right, I dare you to…" he looked thoughtful. Suddenly, he grinned. "I dare you to teach Sango how to dance like they do in your time."

Kagome stared at him. Inu-Yasha stared at him. Sango looked confused.

"How…how do you know about that?" Kagome asked quietly. Knowing the inevitable fate that was about to befall him, Inu-Yasha fearfully inched away. Just as he predicted, she turned on him, her eyes glinting red. "You!" she sputtered. "You told him, didn't you?"

Inu-Yasha whimpered in the face of the livid schoolgirl. Before Kagome could leap in for the kill, Sango-the-archangel put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Kagome. I've always wanted to learn how to dance." Inu-Yasha kept inching towards the door.

Kagome's eyes turned back to their normal color and to the taijiya. "Sango, what you think of as dance is not how people in my time dance."

A meaningful—'and frightening,' thought Inu-Yasha—look from Kagome, and on Sango's face dawned confusion, then comprehension, then shock, as she turned to the smirking monk. Inu-Yasha reached to open the door.

"Miroku, what have you done?" Sango asked forcefully, unaware of the hanyou trying to sneak away. Unfortunately, Kagome noticed.

"Inu-Yasha! Where do you think you're going!" she screamed. 'Damn!' he thought. "Sit!"

He hit the ground with a thud. Muttering a string of curse words into the hard wood floor, he pulled himself up as soon as the curse would let him, yelling, "What the hell was that for?"

"Oh you know what it was for!" She stamped foot. "Fine! Inu-Yasha, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" he shouted, trying to avoid her making him tell her he had told the monk about the future's strange cultural habits.

"Okay, you get to learn how to dance like that, too!" she screamed. The deaf hanyou blinked. "No wait..."

The two teenagers stared unblushingly at each other. Miroku chuckled. "Can't take it back!" he sing-songed. "I think I like this game."

By magic, his face bore two red hand-prints and his head a large lump.

Distraction: All right, so what did you think? I originally wrote more for this chapter, but it would have taken another couple days to finish and over-edit it, so your stuck with this for now. Hopefully, though, I'll get the next chapter finished in a week, maybe two.

Distraction: I'm not going to demand reviews so that I'll update faster; I think that is just annoying to read and more annoying to comply with, so I'll not do that. But, I do like reading reviews...

Distraction: I really don't like how a lot of this chapter turned out. I wasn't able to edit as much as I normally would like to, but I needed to update to get a :ahem: certain person from emailing me all the time about updating. Not naming any names...YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! So stop that, kay?

Next time on Blush til it Hurts: It's Inu-Yasha's turn to ask, and you now what that means! Ramen? Kagome not going back to her time? Kagome not sitting him for a week? Kagome admitting to him how he feels? More ramen? Find out next time in ... Truth or Dare or Blush til it Hurts!


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